The state of China’s consumer spending is better than how it has been portrayed in the media. Further, the latest developments and data suggest that the growth rate will get even better: The Chinese Government is placing more emphasis on domestic consumption as a driver of growth as global trade is disrupted by higher US tariffs. Meanwhile, the latest revenue figure from JD.com suggests a quickening of the pace of retail spending in the final quarter of 2024. The online retailer just reported 13.4% year-on-year growth in sales for the December quarter – the fastest growth rate in almost three years. This compares with its full year revenue growth rate of 6.8%, pointing to the rising growth momentum. In this article, we discuss about the consumption phenomenon in China, driving the decent growth of per-capita consumer spending in China at 5.1% YoY in real terms in 2024 (far higher than that of 1.8% in US).

Mar 20, 2025

It is worth noting that while the significant rally in BATJX – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, Xiaomi – and the offshore listed tech/internet players have dominated headlines lately, the bottoming out of the overall China market since the policy shift in late September last year started onshore, with A shares experiencing a sharper rebound first and with a more slower but sustained trend, as domestic investors were more sensitive to the reset in policy tones and significant shift in government’s commitment to reviving economic growth and capital market activities. In this article, Partner & Co-CIO David Lai discusses the factors that could drive a more sustained outperformance in onshore equity market, and why it is a good entry point to rotate from offshore to onshore companies in policy supported sectors.

Mar 20, 2025

While the market is focused on the size of the fiscal stimulus emerging from the Two Sessions currently underway in Beijing, there are other important drivers that could shape the outlook for the relative performance of Chinese equities versus US stocks. The first is about relative valuation; the second is cyclical – that is, the turning of the US economic cycle; and the third is secular – that is, the sustainability of the repeated use of the “policy bazooka” in the US. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses what causes the underperformance of US market since the Inauguration of President Trump, and diversification out of the US equities has become more important than ever while the slump in consumer confidence and potential debt crisis continue to add downward pressures on the US economy.

Mar 09, 2025

The Two Sessions have delivered a strong signal: China’s economy remains focused on steady growth, with robust government support, despite mounting global uncertainties. With an economic target of 5% growth for 2025 and the highest budget deficit in three decades, policymakers are set to implement a more proactive fiscal policy. This will include increasing government financing to drive domestic demand and boost private sector confidence. In this article, our Partner & Co-CIO David Lai highlights growth and policy supported areas to focus, during this ideal window to add exposure for Chinese equities, particularly opportunities from leaders in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, robotics, and biotech that are still trading at attractive valuation via a via global and even offshore listed China peers.

Mar 09, 2025

After a stellar third quarter on renewed hopes of powerful fiscal stimulus, Chinese stocks followed shares in other emerging markets down in Q4, giving back some of those gains as the CSI 300 Index slipped 1.7% (CNY). Weighing on mainland stocks were investors’ fears that Trump 2.0 tariffs, along with a lack of follow-through by Chinese policymakers, might hinder the country’s growth revival. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, discusses what will spur Beijing to inject more stimulus, where it might go, and what Trump’s trade war and the DeepSeek saga might tell us about where A shares outperformance could come from in 2025.

Feb 24, 2025